The present invention relates generally to computer devices utilizing removable radio frequency communication devices used for transmitting and receiving information and more particularly to an improved apparatus for connecting an appropriate antenna to the radio frequency communication device using an antenna cap, and to an improved method and apparatus for connecting a communication card device such as a radio or modem to an appropriate antenna or telephone line.
Many computer devices use modular components to allow increased flexibility and adaptability to various work environments. This is especially true in the area of small computing devices such as hand held computer terminals, vehicle mounted computer terminals and small lap-top computers. Along these lines, small, removable and interchangeable memory cards were developed. The memory cards have now become commonplace and the PCMCIA memory card standard has become accepted industry wide as the format to use.
The PCMCIA memory cards are relatively small having a length and width roughly the size of a credit card. The thickness of these cards is more than that of a credit card and there are several thicknesses used for different cards. These cards are designed to slide into a receiving portion of some computer device. At one end of the card is an interface section which is in essence the female portion of a connector that mates with the male end in the receiving device. All of this, including the number of pins, the layout of the pins, and the pin size for the connection, are all part of the PCMCIA standard
The success of the removable and interchangeable PCMCIA memory cards has led to the development of other types of peripheral devices that use the same standard. Of particular interest to the present application are the cards that contain radio transceivers and modems. These devices can be inserted into and connected to a receiving device in the same manner as a memory card. However, with these devices there is an additional connection which must be made to connect a radio antenna, a telephone line, a cellular phone, or an antenna for the cellular phone.
Radio frequency communication allows two or more computer terminals to communicate without actually being wired together. Many types of radio communication exist and many different radio frequencies and frequency ranges can and must be used to accommodate the different types of radio communication. For example, a radio that operates by sending the information on a single channel in the UHF band differs greatly from a radio that sends its information utilizing spread spectrum frequency hopping in the 2400-2483 MHz range. The antennas necessary to operate in the different frequency ranges also differ. Similarly, modem communication, whether connected by traditional phone lines or by cellular phones, allow computer devices that are not hardwired together to exchange information.
Connection of the radio card or modem card to an outside antenna or telephone line is typically made by either extending the length of the card beyond the standard card length with the antenna or connection built into the extended portion or by having an antenna or telephone cable protrude out of the end of the radio card to which the user may attach an antenna or telephone line. These options have significant limitation. Both connections severely limit the type of device that can accommodate the cards. Most devices cannot accommodate the extra length without some modification and both connections make environmentally sealing the connections difficult. Additionally, both connections are susceptible to increased damage from dropping or other physical trauma. An external antenna to which the user must couple an antenna is inconvenient and subjects the radio periods of unreliability due to wear of the cable and connection.
An additional problem is converting computer devices that were not designed to utilize radio or modem cards, and thus have no built in or attached antenna, into devices that can utilize radio and modem cards while still avoiding the various antenna connection problems discussed above.
Thus, there is a need in a computer terminal for an improved apparatus for connecting a removable card type radio or modem to an antenna or telephone line attached to or built within the computer terminal. Additionally, there is a need for an improved computer device apparatus for connecting a removable card type radio to a protected, interchangeable, environmentally sealed antenna.
The present invention is useful as a radio card sized for insertion into an electronic device. In such an environment, according to a first embodiment of the invention, the radio card includes a housing and a radio circuit disposed within the housing. An internal antenna is coupled to the radio circuit, and at least one external antenna contact, disposed on the housing, is coupled to the radio circuit, An electrical interface is disposed on the housing at a location physically separate from that of the at least one external antenna contact. The at least one external antenna contact and the electrical interface automatically engage the electronic device upon insertion of the radio card into the electronic device.
According to a second embodiment of the invention, the radio card includes a housing and a radio circuit disposed within the housing. At least one antenna contact, disposed on the housing, is communicatively coupled to the radio circuit. An electrical interface is disposed on the housing at a location physically separate from that of the at least one antenna contact. The at least one antenna contact and the electrical interface engage the electronic device upon assembly of the radio card in the electronic device. The radio card may further include an internal antenna communicatively coupled to the radio circuit.
The invention also is useful in apparatus for radio frequency communication. In such an environment, according to a third embodiment of the invention, the apparatus includes a communication card including a radio circuit disposed within the communication card and a communication card antenna interface electrically coupled to the radio circuit. The apparatus also may include a computing device including a housing and an opening in the housing for receiving the communication card within the housing. A plurality of antennas are connected to the computing device, and the communication card antenna interface is configured to selectively couple to at least one of the antennas when the communication card is received within the opening of the housing. A cap is disposed on the computing device housing to matingly engage the opening in the housing. A cap antenna interface is disposed on the cap that is electrically coupled to at least one of the plurality of antennas disposed on the computing device, the cap antenna interface coupling with the communication card antenna interface.
According to a fourth embodiment of the invention, the apparatus includes a communication card including a radio circuit disposed within the communication card. The apparatus also may include a computing device including a housing and an opening in the housing for receiving the communication card within the housing and including a selection matrix coupled to a plurality of antennas disposed on the computing device. The selection matrix is operable to selectively couple one of the plurality of antennas to the radio circuit. A communication card antenna interface is electrically coupled to the radio circuit and is configured to selectively couple to at least one of the plurality of antennas when the communication card is received within the opening of the housing. A controller may be coupled to the selection matrix that controls antenna selection of the selection matrix, that enables identification of the antennas and that selects at least one of the antennas for electrical coupling to the radio circuit based on the antenna identification.
According to a fifth embodiment of the invention, the apparatus includes a communication card including a radio circuit disposed within the communication card, a first antenna and a communication card antenna interface electrically coupled to the radio circuit. A plurality of antennas are disposed on a computing device. The computing device includes a housing and an opening in the housing for receiving the communication card within the housing and includes a selection device coupled to the plurality of antennas. The selection device selectively interconnects either the communication card first antenna or one of the plurality of antennas disposed on the computing device to the radio circuit through the communication card antenna interface when the communication card is received within the opening of the housing.